Improvement in lamp-burners



2 Sheets-Sheen.

H. A. CHAPIN. LAMP-BURNER.

Patented May 23,1876.

Km HKIMTHOGRAPHU, WASHING-ON D. C.

2 SheetsSheet 2..

H. A. CHAPIN. LAMP-BURNER.

Patented May 23,1876

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aumzk QL mm. Pkmo-ummmn, mqumuron; o. c.

UNITED PATENT oar-ma HENRY A. CHAPIN, on NEW oRK, N. Y.

fIMP RO VE M ENT ,IN LAMP-BURN ERS.

Specification forming part'of Letters Patent No. 177,618, dated May 23,v1876 application filed November 29, 1875.

is' to absolutely prevent persons using lamps from imprudentlyreplenishing the reservoirs or founts with oil 'while the -lamp isalight, this act being always attended with great danger. This featureconsists in such combination, with the filling-mouth, tube, or orificeand the body of a burner or a cover, of an extinguisher and a catch,that thesaid fillingmouth,; tube, ororificecannot be uncovered until theflame is extinguished. Another feature consists in a removable tip forthe wick-tube,

whereby provision .is afforded for using the burner much longer than wasformerly possible, and for insertingthe wick at the top of the jwick-tube proper, and thus obviating the necessity for removing theburner, and therebyl soiling the hands. Another feature consists in anopening in the air-distributer, whereby provision is afforded forlighting the lamp Without removing the chimney. Another feature consistsin an extinguisher, whereby the flame may be put out without removing orblowing down the chimney. The invention also consists in some details ofconstruction which will be hereafter explained.

The acccompanyin'g drawing illustrates the various features of myinvention embodied in flat-wick burners, and for the sake of clear nessIshall confine the following description to burners of that character.

Figure l is a central vertical section "of a lamp-burner embodying myinvention in its simplest form, and Fig. 2 is a vertical 'section of thesame, but is taken at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a centralvertical section of a lamp-burner in which another and somewhat morecomplex form of my invention is em- ,bodi'ed. Fig. 4 is a verticalsection of the same taken at right angles to Fig. 3, and on i the planeof the dotted line x m. Fig. 5 is a plan or top View of the same burner,the airdistributer being broken away to reveal features which are belowit. Fig. 6 is a plan or top View of a burner, and Figs. 7,8, and 9 arevertical sections of burners, illustrating some slight modifications 'ofmy invention.

Referring, first, to Figs. 1 and '2, A desigparts-one of ordinaryconstruction, which I term the wick-tube proper, and designate G,

and another which I term 'a renewable tip, and designate D. The latter,as its name implies, may be renewed whenever necessary. It may besecuredto the wick-tube proper simply by friction, as illustrated in thedrawing. The upper part of an ordinary wick-tube being the part of aburner which is first dcstroyed, a renewable tip provides for a muchlongeruse of theburner than otherwisecould be had. This is not, however,the only advantage due to this feature of my invention. It provides forthe insertion of a wick from above, and hence obviates the necessity forremoving the burner for this purpose, and

also the soiling of the hands incident thereto.

E designates ordinary wick-operating mechanism. F designates theair-distributer. It is perforated in the usual way, and at one side .ofthe wick-tube has an opening, b, provided with a suitable cover, 9,whereby provision is afforded for the insertion of a match to light thewick. G is an extinguisher, which may consist of a narrow piece of sheetmetal having its upper end bent. and adapted to move with a rod, 0,parallel with and close to the wick-tnbe,in such a manner that thebent-over portion may be impelled across the top of the wick toextinguish the flame without removing or blowing through thechimneyyand, as the latter practice is attended with much danger, too'much cannot be said in favor of anything which removes all inducementtoit.

This extinguisher, by 'movin g across the'top of the wick, removes allthe burnt carbon and other matter detrimental to the light, and thus inreality, trims the wick. It is obvious that this extinguisher isserviceable as a regulator to the flame, inasmuch as when moved partlyacross the top of the wick the uncovered part thereof only will burn.This is of advantage in the sick-room and other places where it isdesirable to have a small light burning through the night, because itprovides for the perfect combustion of a portion of the wick, andtherefore obviates the escape of evaporated gases incident to the oldmethod of reducing the" flame by turning downthe wick, and theresultingcontamination of the air.

The drawing represents a catch, H, arranged on the extinguisher-rod, sothat when the extinguisher is in its normal position, (as in Fig. 2,)the former will project under the shoulder of the reservoir or fount, asillustrated in the figure just referred to, and absolutely preclude theremoval of the burner from the reservoir until the extinguisher has beenimpelled across the top of the wick, whereupon, all the light being putout, theburn'e'r may be're'moved. It will be seen that it is, therefore,impossible to fill the reservoir until after the light is put out, andthat the danger of an explosion or a conflagration resulting from thisimprudent act, hitherto much practiced, is entirely removed.

The several features which I have described may be embodied separatelyin different burners, if desirable.

Referring, now, to Figs. 3, 4, and 5, A designates the body of theburner, having a screw-threaded hub, a. O D designate the wick-tube. "Edesignates the wick-operating mechanismyF, an air-distributer; G, anextinguisher, and H a catch on'the latter. All of the parts are similarto those correspondingly lettered in the figures previously described. Idesignates a filling tube or chamber extending upward through the body Aof the burner and laterally outward under the air-distributer andchimney-gallery. It has a perforated or reticulated bottom, allowingoil, but no flame, to pass through into thereservoir. It is providedwith a vent of any suitable kind for the escape of air or gas from thereservoir while being replenished, a mouth or orifice near its outerend, and a cover, J, adapted to move over and past the latter, to closeor open it, a handle, h, on such cover afl'ording convenience formanipulating it.

The tube I provides for filling the reservoir or fountof a lamp withoutremoving the burner. Hence the liability of soiling the hands or objectssurrounding the lamp is lessened. ()n the extinguisher-rod c is a toe,d, which projects over the cover J of this filling-tube, and in the wayof a lug, e, arranged on the same. Hence the said cover cannot be openeduntil the extinguisher is first applied to the wick, and thus the lightmust be put out before the reservoir or fount can be replenished throughthis filling-tube, and all dangerfrom this source is removed.

As the extinguisher cannot be moved forward past the wick-tube afterputting out the light, the wick can never be lighted till the former ismoved back to its normal position. If the cover J is left open the actof putting back the extinguisher will efi'ect the closing of the coverthrough the agency of the toe d, and hence the cover J must be closedbefore the wick can be lighted.

It will, of course, be understood that the catch H on theextinguisher-rod 0 precludes the removal of the burner until the flamehas been put out. Hence it is impossible to incur danger,- even if thepossessor of the lamp chooses to fill the reservoir through its mouth inthe ordinary way. The catch H, however, is not absolutely necessary inthis burner.

Fig. 6 illustrates a burner having a fillingtube,1 substantially likethe tube I just described, except that the month or opening thereof isfurnished with a cover, J which is opened by swinging it aside towardthe wicktube. The extinguisher-rod is provided with a shoulder, s whichprevents said cover from being swung aside while the extinguisher is inits normal position. If, after theextinguisher has been applied to thewick and the reservoir or fount been replenished, the cover J is leftopen, the shoulder s will close the same when the extinguisher is movedback to enable the wick to be lighted, and hence all danger from thissource is removed.

Fig. 7 represents a burner substantially like that last described,except that its filling-tube I has a hinged instead of a sliding orswinging cover, J and the extinguisher is provided with a finger,f,which, when the extinguisher is in its normal position, holds the covershut, and only releases it when the extinguisher is manipulated to putoutthe flame.

' Fig. 8 represents a burner provided with a filling-tube, 1 whichextends out laterally beyond the edge of the air-distributer andchimneygallery, and containing an opening or orifice,0, through whichthe reservoir or fount may be replenished. This opening is closed by acover, J to which the extinguisher-rod is so attached, or with which itis so combined, that the former cannot be opened till the extinguisheris impelled over the top of the wick.

Fig. 9 shows a burner whose extinguisherrod 0 is so constructed that itbears against.

the cover J of the mouth of a filling-tube, 1

arranged in a reservoir or fount, R, and pre-' cludes the opening of thelatter till the extinguisher is applied to the flame.

It may be well here to suggest that the laterally-extending'portion ofthe filling-tube may extend outward from one side of the wicktube,instead of parallel with it, as in Fig. 9, and its mouth or orifice maybe furnished with a cover like that last described, in which case,

if such cover be provided with an upturned lug, and the extinguisher-rodbe provided with. a toe adapted to engage with the said lug when w theextinguisher is in its normal position, the

same results will be obtained as by the devices illustrated in Fig. '9,just described.

Instead of arranging the catch H on the ex-' tinguisher-rod c, a catchanswering the same purpose may be connected with a pivot of ahinge-cover, such as [have just described, and

such cover may be held closed by the extin-' guisher-rod until theextinguisher is impelled across the wick, whereupon the cover may beswung aside, and the catch being thereby turned will disengage from thereservoirorj fount, and permit the removal of the burner extinguisher isin its normal position, and yet to permit the unscrewing of the burnerafter the extinguisher has'been manipulated to put out the flame.

It is obvious that multifarious modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the principle of this invention, the modifications hereinillustrated being merely selected to give an idea of the scope of theinvention. It is adapted to be applied to round-wick or Argand burnersalso.

It is important to mention that the extinguisher and wick-trimmer may beapplied to burners without any of the. appurtenances, save the rod,which it has in the burners illustrated'in the accompanying drawing. Itis worthy of remark that all these features of this invention may beembodied in'an ordinary burner. I have illustrated this by dotted linesin Fig. 1, wherein by one style of dotted lines an ordinary coneair-deflector is delinveated,and by another style of dotted lines anair-deflector such as is used in the well-known sun-burner.

It is obvious that, without departing from the principle of myinvention, extinguishers adapted to move bodily toward either side ofthe wick-tube, or to swing or vibrate to and from the wick-tube, may beemployed in connection with a catch. or precludingthe opening of thefilling-mouth tube or orifice while the lamp is alight. r

The advantages of this invention may be summed up tersely, as follows:The danger of contlagra-tion, resulting from the imprudent act ofreplenishing the oil-reservoir of a lamp while the burner is alight, isobviated; burn-' ers can be used longer than hitherto; the wick can beinserted in the wick-tube from above,

, whereby the soiling of the hands is obviated;

thewick can be lighted and trimmed and the flame extinguished withoutremoving the chimuey.

The use of a filling-tube renders it unnecessary to remove the burnerfrom the reservoir or fount, as heretofore has been necessary, and hencethe tendency to detach the collar from the reservoir is lessened. Thisis an i'nipor taut advantage, as at best collars are never.

very secure; also, filling through reticulated material,such aswire-gauze, within the filllug-orifice, absolutely prevents the flamefrom .coming in contact with the oil in thelamp.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to'secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. The combination of the body of a lampburner, an extinguisher, and acatch, substantiallyas herein described, whereby the burner isabsolutely precluded from being removed from the reservoir or fount towhich it may be applied until the said extinguisher is manipu-. lated toput out the light.

2. The combination, with a mouth or orifice in a filling-tube providedin a burner or reservoir of a lamp, and a cover for such mouth ororifice, of an extinguisher and an appliance for precluding the openingof such month or orifice while the extinguisher is in its normalposition.

3. The part of a burner consisting of the extinguisher G, rod 0, andcatch H.

4. The part of a lamp-burner consisting of the extinguisher G and itsrod 0.

-5. The extinguisher G, provided with a rod, 0, and combined with alamp-burner, substantially as specified.

'6. The removable wick-tube tip, provided with a tang or strip at thebottom for insertion between the lower portion of a wick-tube proper, towhich the said tip may be applied, and the adjacent parts of the body ofthe burner.

7. In a'lamp-burner, the combination of an air-distributer having on oneside of the wick tube an opening of suitable size to permit theinsertion of a match or other means for lighting the wick, and a coverfor such opening preferably perforated to correspond with the saidair-distributer, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

8. The combination of the following elements in lamp-burner, to wit: Thewicktubes 0 D, extinguisher G, catch H, or its equivalent, forprecluding the replenishingot' the reservoir or fount while the wick isalight;

the opening I), through which the wick may be lighted, and a suitablecover for the latter, substantially as and for the purpose herein setforth..-

HENRY A. OHAPIN.

-Witnesses:

EDWIN S. Bnnooox, JOHN ADAMS.

